Addiction, Mental Health, and COVID-19: A Message to Georgia Leaders from The Georgia Council on Substance Abuse
As we move deeper into the COVID-19 national emergency, secondary medical issues begin to manifest themselves. Isolation is the number one factor in recovery from both addiction and mental health issues. Combined with stress, anxiety, and uncertainty, it is essential Georgia address the inevitable mental health and addiction / recovery issues which will grow themselves.
Please read both the headlines and key point from six recent articles regarding COVID-19 and addiction and recovery included in this e-mail. Georgia is facing a devastating health crisis in both addiction and mental health issues. It is imperative we start now to plan, organize, and find solutions.
The opposite of addiction is human connection. The longer people are isolated, the greater the possibility of return to use, and given that early recovery is very fragile, people seeking recovery need to know there are those of us out here who are successfully living in recovery.
The Georgia Council on Substance Abuse and the Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network ask Governor Kemp for the formation of a sub-committee of the COVID-19 Task Force to address the needs of people with substance use disorders or mental illness.
AJC: ‘Surreal’: Anxiety weighs on Georgians navigating coronavirus pandemic
Various behavioral health groups have expanded their use of virtual meetings and webinars to allow people who are experiencing stress and anxiety amid the pandemic to feel a sense of community. And some counselors will allow their clients to participate in virtual therapy.
Neil Campbell, executive director of the Georgia Council on Substance Abuse, said the agency has been reaching out to people in its recovery programs to check in.
“We’re trying to let people know they’re not alone,” she said.
http://gc4recovery.org/ajc-surreal-anxiety-weighs-on-georgians-navigating-coronavirus-pandemic/
Insider Advantage: Council on Substance Abuse looks to help fill need during COVID-19 isolation
“The immediate medical issues of COVID-19 are evident – and they are priority number one,” said Breedlove. “However, as the amount of time COVID-19 impacts and alters the way people interact and society functions, challenges for people relative to addiction recovery and mental health begin to emerge.”
GPB Radio: Social Distancing Means People Who Need People Have A Tough Time Staying Sober
The social distancing advice applies as much to people who rely on group meetings for their substance abuse recovery as it does for anyone else, Georgia Council on Substance Abuse Executive Director Neil Campbell said.
It’s best for people to avoid in-person recovery meetings right now, Campbell said.
“We suggest that people get their get their needs met around their recovery support either online or by telephone,” she said. “It really is the time right now to not put yourself in a situation where you could be exposed.
Buzz Feed: The Coronavirus Pandemic Has Made The Opioid Epidemic Even Worse
Deaths from drug overdoses are likely to increase during the coronavirus outbreak because of disruption to recovery routines and access to treatment, according to counselors and people whose rehabilitation depends on daily care
http://gc4recovery.org/buzz-feed-the-coronavirus-pandemic-has-made-the-opioid-epidemic-even-worse/
Fox News: Coronavirus causing rise in drug, alcohol relapses among people in recovery, expert says
As the nation gets more stringent about non-essential travel and bans on group gatherings to slow the spread of coronavirus, one expert says the pandemic may result in an unintended rise in drug and alcohol relapses among those who are in recovery.
“Yes, we are already starting to see an increase in relapses,” Dayry Hulkow, M.S., a primary therapist at Arete Recovery, a Delphi Behavioral Health Group facility, told Fox News.
https://www.foxnews.com/health/coronavirus-poses-risk-relapse-among-individuals-recovery-expert-says
NYT: With Meetings Banned, Millions Struggle to Stay Sober On Their Own
Addiction experts are calling the coronavirus pandemic a national relapse trigger. Online support groups, doctors and even federal agencies are rushing to aid people in recovery.
For people who struggle with sobriety, for whom isolation is excruciating and group support essential, the ban on group gatherings to combat the spread of the coronavirus is pure hell. Some addiction experts worry that the situation will soon lead to an increase in overdoses, reversing declines of recent years.
http://gc4recovery.org/nyt-with-meetings-banned-millions-struggle-to-stay-sober-on-their-own/
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2 April, 2020
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Jeff Breedlove 404-615-5735
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